By Justina Auta
The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has promised to upgrade the garment factory at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development.
Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, disclosed this during a fact-finding visit to the Government Science and Technical College in Abuja on Friday.
Kennedy-Ohanenye said that the upgrade was part of the ministry’s skills acquisition plans for women, youths and children.
According to her, the upgrading of the garment factory is in pursuance of her sustained drive to expose school children to skills acquisition and vocational training.
She said her visit to the school was also to assess the electrical, furniture, computer crafts studies and vehicle mechanics sections at the garment and identify areas of collaboration with the school management.
“It has been my desire to harness the potential of our children and youths; to build their consciousness toward productivity and self- reliance when they grow up.
“I am already engaging the Honourable Minister of Education to introduce vocational training in schools; to equip the students with digital skills, tailoring, electrical and mechanics” she said.
The minister said she was satisfied with the school’s facilities which would be used to drive the project of harnessing the potential of children and youths.
She said,“This will prevent them from engaging in criminal acts and other juvenile delinquencies”.
The minister, therefore, promised that the Government Technical College would be integrated into the plans of upgrading the garment factory.
“This will enable the students align with the plans of the ministry to have a veritable machinery for effective skills acquisition centre in the FCT,” she added.
Responding, Mr James Kuta, the Principal of the school, who thanked the minister, said the initiative would rebuild the consciousness of Nigerian children and youths to be productive and contribute their quota to national growth. (NAN)